Seminars

Saturday 22 January 2000Liz Greene, Zürich: How to survive Neptune Transits
The peculiarly subtle, "altered state" experience of
Neptune transits often conceals the real meaning of the transit
until a long time later, and we may blunder through a time
of great confusion and suffering, or believe that we have
finally found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. This
seminar will explore what "happens" to us when natal chart
placements receive transits from Neptune, and how we might
be able to work with them with greater insight at the same
time as being able to honour on non-rational levels the inner
process which is occurring. At the best of times we cannot
dictate the course of outer planet transits, but we may be
able to understand more about what is required of us, based
on Neptune's natal placement as well as its archetypal meaning.

Saturday 4 March 2000Liz Greene, Zürich: A Psychological Approach to Hard
Aspects
There are many approaches to the interpretation of hard aspects,
and modern astrologers are less inclined to attribute malefic
qualities to them and more willing to recognise their potential
for creative energy and motivation. However, even with this
enlightened attitude, we still complain about natal squares
and oppositions, and fear the upcoming "bad" Pluto or Saturn
transit. Perhaps we need to look more deeply and with greater
realism as well as optimism at the real psychological dynamics
and underlying meaning of this group of aspects ­ from the
perspective of individual character, heredity, and teleology.

Saturday 18 March 2000
Liz Greene, Zürich: Jupiter: Con Artist or Giver of Gifts?
This seminar will explore the enigmatic Jupiter, who is often
interpreted as a "benefic" yet may be seen in the birth chart
allied with serious inner and outer difficulties and conflicts,
and may equally be spotted in transit accompanying many of
life's most difficult experiences. We will approach the meaning
of this planet from mythological, psychological, and mundane
perspectives, in the birth chart and in transits and progressions,
attempting to link together the vast spectrum of experiences,
perceptions, and behaviour associated with this most theatrical
and volatile image in the planetary pantheon.

Saturday 28 October 2000Liz Greene, Zürich: The Astrologer, The Counsellor
and The Priest
Most astrologers with any degree of psychological insight
understand the enormous value of astrology in counselling
those in difficulty. The astrological reading can provide
access to many deeper areas of the client's psyche, and can
be profoundly helpful and healing on many levels. However,
it can also prove ineffective or even downright destructive
to both astrologer and client. There is often confusion if
not outright ignorance about just what happens in an astrological
session, on both practical and subtle levels, and astrologers
may not fully understand their own motives or what is triggered
unconsciously between them and the client. This seminar will
explore approaches to counselling using astrological symbolism;
ways of interpreting configurations and dealing with difficult
questions; moral and philosophical issues, including what
a chart can and cannot reveal and where the limits of the
astrologer lie; transference and countertransference between
astrologer and client, including the synastry between the
two charts; practical considerations in terms of boundaries;
and communication skills and dilemmas. The seminar is intended
not only for professional astrologers but for all those interested
in the interface between astrological symbolism and the therapeutic
process.

Saturday 25 November 2000Liz Greene, Zürich: Mars: The Warrior and the Thug
This seminar will explore the many facets of the "red planet",
once deemed a malefic but now understood to be at the root
of many inner and outer difficulties if it is not acknowledged
and expressed. Mars may be linked with some of the worst human
excesses of violence and brutality, but the aggressive instinct
is vitally necessary for ego formation and any individual's
capacity to develop character potentials; and the desire nature,
if thwarted in blind or negative ways, can undermine the entire
personality structure. Through myth, psychological patterns,
and astrological placements by sign, house, and aspect, we
will examine both the pathologies and the gifts of Mars, its
power in relationships, its links with creative expression
and with physical health and illness, the ways in which it
is often blocked both individually and collectively, and possible
avenues of positive expression which can help the individual
to feel more comfortable with Martial energy in an age when
it is, even at best, deemed politically incorrect.